


i like me better (when i'm with you)

by nielwooon



Series: the jock and the nerd [1]
Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Mentioned Wanna One Ensemble, Nerd! Jihoon, Popular Kid Falls In Love With The Nerd, Romantic Fluff, Soccer Player! Daniel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-08 17:41:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15935207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nielwooon/pseuds/nielwooon
Summary: “Shut the fuck up, here comes Daniel.” Jihoon’s hands fly down to the grass — gripping so hard that some pieces were being ripped out of the ground. He couldn’t control himself, Kang Daniel had the effect on him. Just one look at him made Jihoon’s breathing speed up and his face flush.“Holy fuck, give up on this little crush. Daniel will never spare you a look.” Woojin crosses his arms and huffs out.-Kang Daniel, the schools biggest jock, falls hopelessly in love with Park Jihoon, the schools biggest nerd.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello! i'm back with another story~~ i will try to update this every week so please be patient and stick around!

The grass blades under Jihoon’s legs were scratchy and made him wince. He felt small bugs crawl on his legs. He almost gave up and went to the bleachers but he shook that thought out of his mind almost immediately. If he wanted to get a good view of the Kang Daniel in action, he had to sit on the side of the field.

 

“Why are we even sitting here? And in our gym uniforms?” Woojin sighs, a scowl on his face, “Why can’t we just sit with the gym outcasts like we always do-“

 

“Shut the fuck up, here comes Daniel.” Jihoon’s hands fly down to the grass — gripping so hard that some pieces were being ripped out of the ground. He couldn’t control himself, Kang Daniel had the effect on him. Just one look at him made Jihoon’s breathing speed up and his face flush.

 

“Holy fuck, give up on this little crush. Daniel will never spare you a look.” Woojin crosses his arms and huffs out.

 

“God, he is so fucking beautiful.” Jihoon looks at him in a trance. In his defense, who wouldn’t look at Daniel in a trance? The man was pure perfection.

 

Long, slim but muscly legs, a nicely toned chest with a hint of abs, collarbones that protrude but not too much, strong and dependent arms, and don’t even get Jihoon started on his face.

 

It was like God took extra time in crafting Daniel. 

 

The soccer practice began soon after Daniel yelled out his orders to the other players.

 

“Why do you even have a crush on him?”

 

“Why don’t you have a crush on him?” 

 

Woojin scoffs, “Well, I’m straight-“

 

Jihoon looks over at his friend who was looking at the field with disgust. He really hated soccer and more specifically Daniel, “Yeah, that is one big fucking lie-“

 

Jihoon watches his face go from disgust to horror in a matter of seconds, “Jihoon, look out!” Woojin tries to push Jihoon out of the way but instead pushes him more in the way. 

 

Woojin wasn’t really that smart.

 

One second, Jihoon was looking at Daniel wondering how someone could be that perfect and then the next he was lying on the ground, Daniel hovering over his face. 

 

Jihoon could see the sweat building on Daniel’s chest. He could see his pores and his very faint 5 o’clock shadow. He could see every little imperfection, which they really weren’t imperfections in Jihoon’s mind, on Daniel’s face and body.

 

“Hey! Dude, are you good?” 

 

 _Am I good? Am I good?_ Jihoon thinks as he stares into Daniel’s eyes. A smile appears on his face, laughter bubbling in his throat.

 

“U-uhh,” He hears Woojin mutter from behind him, “I think something is wrong with him! Daniel, take him to the nurses office.” Jihoon bites his lip as more laughter erupts from his mouth. Woojin could be a great wingman at times.

 

Daniel’s face goes out of Jihoon’s view, “Why me? Why should I take him to the nurses office?”

 

“Because you are the one who knocked him the fuck out with your soccer ball?” Woojin’s voice was getting defensive. Jihoon cheered his wingman on silently, praying that his extra rough words would convince Kang Daniel.

 

“He should have been paying attention!” Daniel sounds so hot when he yells. Jihoon shook his head at the thought of being this whipped for someone who probably didn’t even know he existed before this moment but grimaced from the pain. He sits up very slowly and turns to the two boys who were standing extremely close.

 

Woojin’s eyes were sharp and pointed while Daniel had his arms crossed over his chest, head up in an arrogant pose.

 

God damn, Daniel was cool.

 

“Can someone please just take me to the nurses office before I pass out and go into an indefinite coma?” Daniel turns to look at Jihoon with a sigh. He walks over to him, holding out a hand.

 

“Come on, let’s go.” Jihoon looks at his hand, heart pounding in his chest. Did the Kang Daniel really want Jihoon to hold his hand? That was like basically the first step in marriage, right? 

 

“Dude, grab his fucking hand and go to the nurse so we can continue our practice!” A dude on the sidelines, Jihoon recognizes the voice to be Ong Seongwoo, yells with a couple of murmurs from the other players.

 

Jihoon bites his lip, grabs Daniel’s hand, and is hoisted up in the air.

 

“Just hurry up. Me and Jihoon have to go to the PC cafe in like 25 minutes.” Woojin rolls his eyes before pulling out his phone.

 

“Nerds.” Daniel scoffs as he walks towards their school.

 

_Nerds._

 

Jihoon has never liked being considered a nerd but if Daniel called him that, he would accept it with a grateful heart.

 


	2. Nerd #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i said i would update every week but since the last chapter was just a prologue i decided to update again today haha tell me what you think about this chapter! every comment helps and encourages me <3

The school’s crisp, cool air was a stark contrast from the hot and humid air of the outside. Being inside the school with everyone either in the library or outside waiting for Daniel to come back was kind of eerie. Usually, the hallways were bustling with life and chatter but it was just dead silent. The silence scared Jihoon.

 

Daniel pushes the door to the Nurses Office open, not bothering to knock, and motions Jihoon to sit on the examination table

 

“You aren’t going to get the Nurse?” Daniel laughs lightly, grabbing some ice out of the freezer.

 

“No,” He throws the ice pack to Jihoon, who barely catches it, “You aren’t that badly hurt. I get at least 4 soccer balls to the face a day. Also, she’s on lunch break right now. I wouldn’t want to interrupt her while she is eating.”

 

Jihoon puts the ice on his throbbing forehead, “Yeah but you are used to it and I’m not.”

 

Daniel leans against the door with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Jihoon wanted to scream at the hotness of him but he wanted to play it cool — he didn’t want Woojin’s wingman work to go to waste.

 

“Do you like me, Nerd?” The question was too sudden, his brain went into overdrive. 

 

Jihoon’s hand goes limp, ice pack flying out of his hand and his mouth flying open.

 

“I-I… um….W-well…” Jihoon splutters for a couple of seconds before Daniel busts out in laughter.

 

His eyes disappeared into his eyes and his nose scrunched as he bent over his knee. He looked like he was dying but the melodious sound coming out of his mouth was a clear indication to Jihoon that he definitely wasn’t dying — just laughing at Jihoon’s awkwardness.

 

“Why are you laughing?” Jihoon reaches down to grab the ice packet as Daniel’s laughter subsides slightly.

 

“It- it’s just funny,” He rubs his hand down the middle of his face, small bursts of laughter still coming out, “It’s funny you think you have a slight chance with me.” Daniel’s aura does a 180 change. The lighthearted laughter that was echoing in the small office was replaced by the sounds of Jihoon’s shaky breath and Daniel’s sharp words.

 

“I don’t think I have a chance with you-“

 

Daniel shakes his head, arms crossing over his chest, “No, you definitely think you have a chance with me. If you like me that means you imagine us together, holding hands, kissing, maybe do other things,” Jihoon folds into himself when Daniel starts slowly walking over to him, placing himself right in front of Jihoon’s face, “But I just want to let you know, I will never date a nerd like you.”

 

Jihoon’s whole body deflates. It was like all of his hopes had been crushed right in front of his face. Daniel pats his head before walking out of the Nurses Office.

 

He wanted the ground to swallow him whole. No Korean drama or romantic comedy prepared him for this happening, they just prepared him for the mushy things.

 

He wanted to curse out all of the dramas he’s watching for getting his hopes up.

 

—

 

“I tried to tell you!” Woojin sucks down some more of his milkshake before proceeding his mom talk, “That Daniel kid is a piece of trash. T R A S H!”

 

“He’s not trash! He’s just has a little…”

 

“Superiority complex?” Woojin completes his sentence. Jihoon looks out of the window of the diner. 

 

He didn’t want to cry in front of Woojin but he was 0.0009 milliseconds away from having a mental breakdown in the middle of this diner at 11 pm.

 

“I never thought he would be like that,” Jihoon looks at the napkin dispenser and then to Woojin’s worried face, “He always seemed so nice in class, you know? He told me he would never date a nerd like me with a huge smile on his face.”

 

“That’s so fucking sadistic!” Woojin engages into Jihoon’s rant. He was always the best at making Jihoon feel valid with his feelings even if they were dumb. Even if Woojin knew Jihoon would get his feelings hurt in the end — like this whole Daniel fiasco — he went along with it.

 

“I know! I was so blinded by his perfect body and his perfect face and his perfect laughter and his perfect smile and his perfect-“

 

“Jihoon,” Woojin snaps which gets him out of his trance, “You are in a Daniel trance again. We are meant to be trashing him right now.”

 

“Right, right.” He bites his lip before going down and drinking some of his chocolate milkshake.

 

“Rant all of your concerns to me,” Woojin nibbles on a fry, “You know I will give you the best advice.”

 

He was right, he gave some of the best advice. Not all of it was smart or was good in the long run but it always helped in the moment.

 

“Even after he laughed right in my face after calling me a nerd I should be pissed off and hate him, right?”

 

“Right.” 

 

“But I don’t… I don’t see myself ever dating him now but I still like him for some reason.”

 

Woojin nods his head, “It is because you are whipped. W H I DOUBLE P E D. In our 17 years of friendship, I have never seen you as whipped as you are now.”

 

Jihoon leans back in the booth, groaning out. He didn’t want to be whipped anymore. Daniel was an asshole, he confirmed this with his own two eyes, but something about him just drew Jihoon in closer and closer.

 

It was the Daniel Disease.

 

He drew people in with his seemingly kind words topped off with a charming smile but once they fell completely head over heels for him, he would ruin all of their hopes with being with him.

 

Daniel would pat people on their head but cut them off at the knees with no mercy.

 

“Uhhh, Jihoon? Why is Daniel walking straight towards our booth?” Woojin looks behind Jihoon with a confused stare, straw hanging in his mouth like a dumbass.

 

“What?!” Jihoon flips around to see Daniel walking towards them, eyes locking in on Jihoon. 

 

Was this real life?

 

Daniel was parading over to their booth like some kind of fucking supermodel only 7 hours after crushing all of the hope Jihoon had in the world.

 

What kind of guy was he?

 

“What the fuck are you doing here, Kang?” Woojin spits out harshly. Jihoon can always count on him whether it involves him being a wingman or being a complete asshole.

 

“Shut up, Nerd #1. I’m here to talk to Nerd #2,” Daniel turns towards Jihoon with a sigh, “I have a favor to ask of you and trust me — I don’t want to ask you this at all — but it’s desperate times and desperate measures.”

 

Jihoon blinks his eyes a couple of times to make sure this wasn’t just a sugar rush hallucination. Daniel was standing in front of him, hair freshly washed, black hoodie hanging on his shoulders, and dangly earrings in his ears.

 

Jihoon forgot all about earlier today. His love for Daniel was recharged by one look.

 

“U-uh.. what do you need?” He decides to answer. He didn’t want to look like a complete weirdo just gawking at Daniel.

 

“Can you be my boyfriend?” 

 

Both Jihoon and Woojin shoot out of the booth. 

 

“What the fuck did you say?!”

 

“I need you,” Daniel looks Jihoon straight in the eyes. He feels himself go weak in the knees, “to be my boyfriend.”

 


	3. Ha Sungwoon

Jihoon never imagined himself to actually be in this position. He always would daydream what Daniel’s room would look like and what his bed felt like but actually sitting on the bed he imagined was a little too surreal for him.

 

Daniel had pulled Jihoon out of the diner (he gave Woojin 20 dollars to cover for the meal) right after saying the shocking words that almost put him _and_ Woojin into cardiac arrest. 

 

“So,” Jihoon puts his hands on his lap, awkwardly sitting on the edge on the bed as Daniel paced around his room, “Why do you want me to be your boyfriend-“

 

“Shut up. Don’t say the word _boyfriend_ with honey coming out of your eyes,” Daniel huffs out, “This will strictly be fake. Nothing will actually come out of this. You understand that, right?”

 

Jihoon resists the urge to roll his eyes, Daniel was attractive but damn he could be annoying, “Yes. I understand 110% that nothing will come out of this but why me?”

 

Daniel stops pacing and looks at Jihoon with a face he really can’t decipher, “I… I honestly don’t know why I chose you. You were the first person that came to my mind, I guess.”

 

In Jihoon’s mind, backward this was a victory. A small one, he will admit that, but it was still a victory. Daniel thought of him for this task. He didn’t think of anybody else, just Jihoon. 

 

He had to stop himself from dancing in his seat.

 

“Okay..”

 

Daniel pulls out the chair from under his desk and situates it in front of Jihoon. They make eye contact for half a second until Daniel looks away, clearing his throat, “The reason I need you to date me is because I need to make someone jealous.”

 

“Jealous..?” Jihoon crosses his arms and motions for Daniel to continue.

 

“Ha Sungwoon,” Jihoon nods his head, “He started dating Hwang Minhyun a couple of days ago and Sungwoon is the guy I like.”

 

“Wait — you're gay?” Jihoon’s eyes almost bug out of his head. Daniel closes his eyes, rolling backward.

 

“Jesus Christ, I thought nerds were supposed to be smart or something,” He pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a couple of deep breathes before continuing, “Yes, I’m gay. Does that make more sense in your nerdy brain?”

 

“Yes… I mean I guess… I always thought you were straight-”

 

“That is beside the point, we need to make a contract or something so we — and by we I mean _you_ — don’t screw this up,” Daniel stands up and walks over to his desk. He grabs an old ratty notebook and throws it to Jihoon along with a pen, “Make some rules you want me to follow and then I’ll do rules I want you to follow.”

 

Jihoon flips to a blank page and titles it “RULES” with a couple of stars following behind it. 

 

“Rule #1,” Jihoon looks up at Daniel with a smile, “You have to game with me at least 2 times a week.”

 

Daniel sighs, “Game? God, you really want to turn me into a certified nerd too, don’t you?”

 

“Yes,” Jihoon laughs before writing again, “Rule #2; write me notes every day and give them to me in a crowded room. It will make us look like a more legit couple.”

 

Daniel nods. When Jihoon hands him the notebook and pen, he furrows his eyebrows, “Those are the only two rules you want to set?”

 

Jihoon nods, “Yeah. I mean I don’t really want to ask for too much. I don’t want to get my hopes up.” He laughs but it is empty, devoid of the fullness it usually has.

 

This is everything he wanted and more. If he went back in time and told himself from two weeks ago that he was going to be sitting on Daniel’s bed making a fake dating contract, he would shit himself. Old Jihoon would have enjoyed this moment more than anything.

 

But now, it didn’t seem all that amazing. He was so close to the thing he wanted the most but he knew he could never have it. Daniel was doing this to get another boy to fall for him but this whole thing would just make Jihoon ultimately fall more for him. He would just be another person who fell for the impossible Kang Daniel.

 

“Alright,” Daniel cuts off Jihoon’s sulky thoughts with his smooth, deep voice, “Here are my rules.” Daniel shoves the notebook towards Jihoon’s chest and motions for him to read it.

 

_Rule #3; We have to kiss each other to get used to it._

 

Jihoon’s eyes bug out of his head when he reads the first rule underneath his.

 

“We have to kiss? When?”

 

Daniel smiles, “Right now, if you want to. We need to practice kissing, though. It will give us some sort of chemistry together.”

 

Jihoon shakes his head, “Let’s practice… k-kissing at a later date.” 

 

Daniel nods, clearly enjoying the way Jihoon’s face flushed at the words, “If that makes you comfortable then I’m good with it… continue reading the rules.”

 

_Rule #4; Go to the diner with me every Friday after games._

 

Jihoon smiles at that rule. He could do that one with no problem, the diner was his favorite place to go.

 

_Rule #5; Never let anyone know this relationship is fake. Even Woojin needs to be in the dark._

 

“Why do you want to keep it a secret?” Jihoon looks up from the notebook to see Daniel looking at him with a soft smile.

 

It wasn’t one of his cocky ones. It was so kind looking. His teeth were poking out from his top lip, gently biting into his lower lip, and his eyes had a nostalgic look in them. Daniel almost looked like he admired Jihoon. He had to laugh internally at that thought.

 

Daniel snaps out of his soft mood and replaces it with arrogance. There was the Daniel Jihoon knew, “If you tell anyone that this is a fake relationship they will tell another person and that person will tell another person, so on and so forth. It would be too humiliating for me if people found out I was fake dating you.”

 

Jihoon’s shoulders slump, “Isn’t it more embarrassing for people to think you are actually dating a nerd like me?”

 

Daniel shakes his head, “It isn’t embarrassing at all, Nerd.” He teases with a small smile on his face. The two laugh together for a little bit before Daniel stands up.

 

“Let me write you your first ever note real quick.” Daniel hunches over his desk, pen in hand and hand scratching words over a page.

 

Jihoon can see him biting his lip, all of his focus on this note. 

 

He didn’t know how to feel anymore. Daniel was such an asshole sometimes but sometimes… he could be sweet. It wasn’t an upfront kind of sweet, it was more underhanded but it was still sweet. It gave Jihoon a bit of whiplash.

 

He hears the sound of paper tearing and folding before Daniel is in front of him holding out a note, a grin tugging on the corners of his lips.

 

“Read this when you get home, Nerd.” 

 

 

—

 

_‘Dear Nerd #2,_

_This will probably be filled with a bunch of hardships. You will probably fall more hopelessly in love with me while I’m busy chasing after Sungwoon. I’m sorry for that, I truly am. I know it’s not easy_ **_not_ ** _falling in love with a handsome beast like me._

 

_I hope you can keep up with me though. I know this is probably the first relationship you have ever been in so I will teach you things along the way._

 

_Wait, that’s so sad. Your first relationship is a fake one :( At least it is with someone hot like me._

 

_Anyways, just follow the rules we set (I will follow them religiously so you better too) and everything will be a-okay._

 

_This should be easy. I plan to have Sungwoon under my arm in less than 2 months so you won’t have to deal with this for too long._

 

_Thank you for doing this for me, even though I know you probably agreed to fulfill your fantasies. But still, thanks. I don’t know anyone else I could do this with without wanting to die from embarrassment._

 

_Thanks once again,_

_Daniel.’_

 

 

Jihoon throws the note on his desk with a scoff, “What kind of backhanded compliment shit was that?” He whispers, feeling confused but warm at the same time.

 

_Kang Daniel, what have you done to me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how are you feeling about this so far? please tell me <3


	4. Teddy Bear

Walking into school on Monday morning really was an experience. Usually, nobody would pay him any mind, they would bump into and mutter insincere words of apologies before going on there merry way.

 

But today people actually paid attention to Jihoon, pointing at him and saying either really mean or good things. Jihoon couldn’t hear what they were saying too well. 

 

Word had gotten out after Daniel posted a picture of Jihoon on his Instagram with the caption, “My baby <3”

 

He tried to stop him from posting it because he felt embarrassed by it but Daniel just waved him off saying something along the lines of, _“It will just help start this whole thing without us having to be too disgusting at school.”_

 

Jihoon feels a hand on his shoulder pulling him back slightly and then he was engulfed in a back hug. He turns his body around to be face to face with a lovey-dovey looking Daniel.

 

“Hey, babe,” He says loud enough for people all the way in Cambodia to hear. All of the people in the hallway gasp and start murmuring about what the hell is happening. God, even Jihoon wanted to gasp and ask what the hell is happening but he decided to play it cool, “Did you sleep well?” Daniel’s arms fit to tell around his shoulders. It made him kind of sad but he brushed that thought off to the side of his brain.

 

Jihoon bites his lip, playing into this act a little too well, “How could I sleep when someone as beautiful as you were running through my mind all. night. long?” He punctuates the last couple of words with pokes to Daniel’s chest. Daniel laughs, leaning his head against Jihoon’s forehead. He can hear everyone in the hallway erupt in loud and excited chatter.

 

Daniel whisper was so quiet that even Jihoon had to question if he said it, “That was so lame.” Jihoon wanted to punch him but he knew that his strength was nothing compared to Daniel’s.

 

He grabs Jihoon’s hand, slipping in a note that was addressed to him.

 

Daniel smiles at Jihoon, “Don’t cream your pants reading this note, nerd ass.” 

 

-

 

“So you guys are dating? What the fuck happened?!” Woojin slides next to Jihoon on the bleachers. Jihoon shrugs with a falsely happy smile — well, it wasn’t completely false — resting on his face.

 

Jihoon was in this sort of fake bliss thing. He knew everything Daniel did was in front of Sungwoon and that was on purpose. He was just a toy for Daniel to use and play with until the newer shiny toy he wanted came around. 

 

If his common sense was in working order he would hear it screaming at him to run, get the fuck away, kick Daniel in the balls — do something before he falls deeper. But he decided to ignore his common sense this one time.

 

“We talked it out and he said…..” Jihoon scrambles through his brain to find a decent excuse, “He said that he was trying to deny his feelings for me…. yeah!”

 

Woojin furrows his eyebrows, not looking a bit convinced, but just goes along with it. Silence engulfed the two for a couple of minutes before Woojin erupted into chatter about the new video game that was coming out.

 

He wasn’t really listening but he nodded to make it seem like he was. He just couldn’t help but feel bad for lying to Woojin.

 

Jihoon hated lying, it made him feel like a bad person, it also didn’t help he usually sucked at it.

 

But if lying is what would make Daniel happy, he would do it all day long.

 

-

 

 

“Kiss me.” 

 

“What?”

 

“Kiss me, you big nerd!” Daniel grips Jihoon’s shoulders and pulls him closer. Their lips were only half an inch away from each other. They were so close that Jihoon could even see the pores on Daniel’s nose.

 

Now wasn’t the time to think about pores though. 

 

Jihoon tilts his head to the side and started to lean in closer before ultimately giving up, folding in on himself, “I can’t do it.”

 

“Do you want to add another rule?”

 

Jihoon looks up to see Daniel looking down at him with unusually caring eyes. He was expecting to be called all sorts of names and to be ridiculed for being scared to kiss someone but from what he could see Daniel was in no hurry of insulting him today.

 

“What has gotten into you today?” Jihoon reaches up, removing Daniel’s big hands off of his shoulder. He tries to pull his hand away from Daniel’s grasp but Daniel held on tighter with a smile gracing his already beautiful features.

 

“Can I happily rant to you?” Daniel tilts his head to the side, his hair flowing over to the side. He looked so cute but Jihoon shook that thought out of his head.

 

Jihoon nods so Daniel proceeds his talk, “Sungwoon came up to me today.”

 

“That’s good, Daniel! I mean you are making progress, right?” Jihoon tried to not let it affect him. This was the end goal of this whole fake dating thing.

 

“Yeah, it’s great. He came up to me, face red with anger, and started questioning why we are dating. So, I told him I loved you,” Jihoon’s breath hitches and Daniel’s grip gets tighter on his hand, “And you know what he said?”

 

Jihoon was in another one of his Daniel trances, he was a robot that would give into anything and everything he would say, “What did he say?”

 

Daniel giggles. It wasn’t like one of his arrogant laughs he usually pulls — it was a full-on high school girl giggle. It made Jihoon laugh along with him, “He said he would do anything to get me from you. Isn’t that amazing?!”

 

Daniel continues to laugh but Jihoon’s starts to falter a little bit, pain creeping up in his body.

 

He shouldn’t be feeling this bad. This dating fiasco had only been going on a day but Jihoon knew that in that one day, Daniel had roped him in closer. The feelings he felt towards Daniel were stronger than they ever were before.

 

“It’s amazing, Daniel. I’m so glad for you.” He tried to sound genuinely happy for him, he really did. His voice was forced and thick from trying not to burst out in tears. Daniel was in his happy bliss so he noticed nothing out of the unusual.

 

He pulled Jihoon close to his chest, close enough to where he could hear Daniel’s heartbeat, and laid down, looking up at the ceiling.

 

 _Holy fuck, we are cuddling._ Jihoon thinks as the heat rushes to his face.

 

Daniel plays with his hair, “What’s your favorite movie? Is it something nerdy? Or is a romantic comedy?” He questions suddenly but Jihoon goes with it.

 

Any conversation with Daniel would make Jihoon more than happy.

 

Jihoon is silent for a couple of moments, “My favorite movie is definitely _Heathers._ It’s a movie from the 80s.” He feels Daniel still for a moment before returning to play with his hair.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it… what’s it about?”

 

This was everything Jihoon imagined and more. He always imagined cuddling with Daniel, talking about their favorite things for hours, and now that it was actually happening he couldn’t be happier.

 

“It’s about a girl who falls in love with a psychopathic murderer. They kill all of the popular kids in their school and make it seem like a suicide… I’m not really good at explaining things,” Jihoon takes in a deep breath and looks up at Daniel who was staring at the ceiling with a smile, “But it is a great movie.”

 

Daniel positions his head downwards to lock eyes with him, “We should watch it sometime. If you like it, it has to be good. It seems like you only like good things.”

 

Jihoon shakes his head, “I’m a nerd, remember? We aren’t supposed to like the same things.” Daniel clicks his tongue, looking exaggeratedly annoyed at Jihoon. If Jihoon had to admit, it was pretty cute.

 

“So what if you are a nerd… you are my nerd. And I know my nerd only likes good things.” Daniel smiles down at him.

 

Everything felt so genuine. The words Daniel spoke, the actions he did, all of it felt so real that for a second Jihoon thought this is what it would be like to date him. This is what it would be like to date the one and only person Jihoon had an actual crush on.

 

But it was all so unrealistic at the same time. The words Daniel said to him were nothing more than a happy babble. Daniel didn’t care what Jihoon’s favorite movie was, he was just happy because he had progressed with Sungwoon. He probably thought of Sungwoon as they cuddled. He probably wondered if this is how it felt to cuddle Sungwoon after a long day at practice or an extra hard game.

 

Jihoon knew that nothing would come out of this but he still prayed that maybe, just maybe, Daniel would see him as more than just a nerd with nerd friends. 

 

-

 

_‘Dear Nerd #2,_

_Day one starts today. I’m scared shitless if I can be honest with you. What if this whole thing fails and Sungwoon pays me no attention? I’m scared that I will ruin your reputation, if nerds even have reputations, or waste your time with this whole thing._

 

_I’m sorry for dragging you into this whole mess but you seemed more than willing so that means something, right?_

 

_If you read this and realize that you hate my guts fully and don’t want to continue this thing, I would understand completely._

 

_When you want to stop this fake dating thing just come up to me and say, “Retainer.” You may look crazy to other people but I will know what you mean. That’s all that matters._

 

_Please don’t fall in love with me, nerd. I don’t want to hurt you more._

 

_Thanks,_

_Daniel.’_

 

 

Jihoon leans back in his chair, tossing the note on his desk side table, “What am I supposed to do with notes like this, Daniel?” He rants to himself, “Can you just present yourself as an asshole so I don’t fall in love with you?”

 

He rubs his face, groaning into his hands, “God, what the hell did I get myself into?”

 

Kang Daniel could be the biggest asshole sometimes but he could also be the biggest teddy bear at others. If he was being honest, he didn’t know which one he hated more.


	5. Hopelessly In Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am i updating too fast? i feel like i need to slow down LOL  
> tell me what you think of this chapter please~ i'm open to any and all criticism <3

“This movie is so weird,” Daniel shovels another handful of popcorn into his mouth as he watches Winona Ryder shoot a gun at her psychopathic boyfriend down in the boiler room.

 

Jihoon nods, “Yeah... I told you it was weird. If you want to change it, we can-“

 

Daniel pulls Jihoon’s head to his chest, “Shut up, Nerd. I want to find out what happens, so be quiet.” 

 

He knows he shouldn’t enjoy this but he does so much. He enjoys the way Daniel threads his fingers through his brown locks. He enjoys hearing Daniel’s steady heartbeat speed up when something exciting happens on screen.

 

Daniel had come over to Jihoon’s house after texting him an ominous, _“We need to hang out. Text me your address.”_ He complied willingly though because who the fuck would deny Kang Daniel from coming over to their house.

 

Definitely not Jihoon.

 

He barely realizes the movie had finished until Daniel is sitting up, “That was so fucking weird… but I enjoyed it immensely.”

 

“Good word choice.” Jihoon puts a piece of popcorn in his mouth after complimenting Daniel.

 

“Thanks,” He starts shaking his head, trying to find words and Jihoon realizes that he is in for another Daniel rant, “I-I’ve been tired of being portrayed as a dumb jock at school recently.”

 

Jihoon nods, sitting back to get comfortable, “Right.”

 

“So,” He continues, “I have been studying a lot of different words and trying to apply them to my day to day life — do you want to make out?” Jihoon shoots straight up, sweat forming on his hands.

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

Daniel scoots closer. Jihoon responds by scooting farther away, “Do you want to put my lips against yours and move them around for a couple of minutes?” Jihoon bites his lips.

 

“Why?”

 

“Well, one; it is in our contract and two; you look really good right now.” Daniel’s words got softer as he got closer to the end of the sentence.

 

Jihoon mentally shrugged and scooted closer to Daniel, gripping his shoulders. Daniel smiles and grabs the side of his face softly, leaning in to connect their lips.

 

Jihoon decides to lean forward to speed up the process. He wanted to know what it felt like to kiss Daniel. People say you can tell if you really love someone by how the kiss feels. If you just like them for their looks, it will feel dull but if you like them for them, it will feel like a million fireworks going off in your body.

 

Their lips connect softly and Daniel sighs into the kiss like he had a million pounds on his shoulder before then. Jihoon tenses up, body feeling extremely hot from the contact.

 

His lips were so soft. They slid against each other so perfectly that it was like they were made for each other. 

 

Daniel grasped the side of Jihoon’s face harder, pulling Jihoon’s smaller body flush to his. Jihoon felt something like electricity spark across his body. His body felt electric and he felt alive. 

 

It was the same feeling he got when he won in a video game except this was way more satisfying and intense.

 

Daniel pulls away with a sigh and a goofy smile, “Cool.”

 

Jihoon’s hands fall from his large shoulders down to the cool couch, “Cool.” He whispers back, face flushed and heart pounding against his chest.

—

 

“I made a new rule.” Daniel sits beside Woojin — who scowls before turning back to his pizza — and places the notebook gently in front of Jihoon.

 

_Rule #6; No more kissing ;)_

 

He slumps down in his seat, disappointed that he had added this one, “Why did you add this? I thought you enjoyed it…” He pouts, reading over the words a couple more times to more sure he is reading it correctly.

 

“I enjoyed it a lot but you didn’t when we did it last night so I added this one,” He stands up, grabbing his lunch tray.

 

Jihoon wants a black hole to swallow him up and never spit him out. The way Daniel phrased that made it seem too suggestive. Woojin, the worlds biggest pervert, started choking on his food.

 

“Oh, gross Woojin! It wasn’t anything that you are thinking of.” Daniel stands in front of Jihoon, laughing at their banter.

 

“We still on for tonight, babe?” Jihoon nods, eyes glimmering with what some people would call gross love, and Daniel pats his head before walking off to sit with his soccer friends.

 

Woojin turns towards Jihoon again with a questioning look, “So…you guys have rules?”

 

Oh shit.

 

Did Daniel forget that Woojin was supposed to be in the dark about this whole thing? 

 

“O-oh… uhh… yeah, we do,” Jihoon takes a sip of his Coke, “Since this is my first relationship Daniel wanted to set rules in place so I could be more…. comfortable.”

 

Woojin nods, clearly not caring about the weird rule system, “So, you have been dating your dream man for officially 21 whole days. How does it feel big boy?”

 

God, it had already been 21 days? It felt like just yesterday Daniel was storming into the diner and took him by the arm to drag him to his house.

 

Daniel had been progressing slowly with Sungwoon, much to Jihoon’s demise, to the point he wasn’t even being the rude, arrogant Daniel he had come to know and accept.

 

“It doesn’t feel real,” Because it wasn’t, “He is everything I want and more, you know?” That is still so true.

 

“Have you guys had sex yet?” 

 

“Jesus Christ, Woojin!”

 

“I take that as a no.”

 

—

 

Friday night lights. Most would say this is their favorite part about school, going to soccer games, freezing their asses off, and chilling out to the sound of the band but to Jihoon this was hell. 

 

Sure, he would get to see Daniel all sweaty and in action. He would get to see every muscle in his leg flex as he kicked the ball. He would get to see the smile on his face when he made a goal that saved their team from losing.

 

But none of that helped the fact that Jihoon had no interest in soccer and hated being at school after hours. 

 

Not even Woojin, his best friend since birth, would come to this stupid soccer game with him. He just threw up some peace signs and said, _“You are on your own, brother.”_

 

Damn him and his nerdy, introvert tendencies.

 

Jihoon awkwardly sits on the very first bleacher in between two kids he had never seen in the three years he had been to that school and waits for Daniel to run onto the field.

 

The buzzer sound goes off soon after and the stands erupt in cheers. Jihoon’s eyes glide over each and every player trying to see where Daniel was.

 

“Number 13.” He whispers to himself when he sees the tall man with bouncy hair run out on the field, biggest smile ever plastered on his face.

 

“Nerd!!!” Daniel yells loudly, catching the attention of everyone. Daniel waves wildly until Jihoon realizes that it was him he was waving at.

 

“Oh, Jesus fuck.” He mutters, waving back at Daniel so he could go back to focusing on what their coach was saying.

 

_“Did he just call that kid nerd?”_

 

_“I hope he isn’t being bullied by him.”_

 

_“God, he is too cute to be bullied by a guy like Daniel.”_

 

_“Daniel really needs to watch his mouth sometimes. Does he not realize that that could hurt his feelings?”_

 

Jihoon turns around and shakes his head, “No, no it’s okay. I’m Daniel’s boyfriend.” The two girls make an ‘oh’ sound as Jihoon turns back around to watch the game (aka watch Daniel)

 

Even though it was fake, being able to tell people that his boyfriend was the Kang Daniel felt really fucking good.

 

 

 

 

Run. Shoot. Run. Shoot. Someone fall. Run. Shoot.

 

That was how the game had been like for about 2 hours now. Jihoon’s school was in a very good lead, with a player like Daniel how could they not, and it was almost time for the game to end. You could tell the other team had basically given up at this point and Jihoon’s school had already started prematurely celebrating.

 

His eyes follow Daniel who was running over to the fence, motioning him to walk down and meet him there for a small impromptu session of talking.

 

Jihoon bounds down the clanky metal stairs and hangs himself over the metal fence, face almost touching Daniel’s.

 

“Am I doing great out there or what?” He lets out a breathy laugh and it hits Jihoon straight in the face. It smelled minty, thank god.

 

Jihoon smirks, looking up at the bright lights projecting down to the field, “I don’t know… Seongwoo is kicking ass out there right now while you are over here talking to a big ass nerd.” Jihoon pokes Daniel’s squishy cheek. He responds by pretending to bite his finger making the two of them laugh for a couple of seconds.

 

“Tonight at the diner,” Daniel licks his lips, “I have something to tell you.”

 

“Damn,” Jihoon whispers a smile pulling at the corners of his lips, “I was hoping you would tell me I could order whatever I wanted.”

 

Daniel’s eyes disappear into his face, teeth showing as he laughs, “Y-yeah… if that’s what you want I will allow t-that.” He stutters out between laughs.

 

“Daniel, get your ass out here! We still have 10 minutes left of this game!” Seongwoo yells at him. Daniel perks up, smile still visible on his face.

 

“Meet me out on the field after everything chills out… I really need to talk to you.” Jihoon looks at Daniel’s figure as he runs out on the field, immediately getting back into the game.

 

Fear pulsates through his veins. What if he was going to tell him that they should end it? What if Sungwoon had finally came around to the idea of dating Daniel and all of this would go down the drain?

 

Did that make out session really mean nothing to Daniel other than another number in his book? Was Jihoon just another guy/girl that Daniel could say he made out with?

 

The possibility filled him with dread but there really was no way to know for sure until the end of the game.

 

10 minutes have never seemed so long.

 

 

 

Everybody was pretty much done with celebrating the win at the end of the 10 minutes due to the other team calling it quits early. Jihoon made his way down the bleachers and on to the field as everyone started clearing off.

 

He looks around for Daniel and when he spots him it was like all time had stopped. It wasn’t because Daniel was running towards him, looking as beautiful as ever, no, that would have been golden compared to what Jihoon is watching.

 

There was Daniel standing with his back to Jihoon and in front of him was a smiley Sungwoon, face squished in between Daniel’s hands. He had said something funny to him because Sungwoon laughed and rested his head on Daniel’s wide chest for a second before pulling away, walking off of the field with a wave.

 

“Daniel,” Jihoon called out. His voice was quiet but it was enough for Daniel to hear. He ran over to Jihoon with a large smile on his shoulder.

 

“Hey! Did you see the last shot I made-“

 

“What was that?” Daniel furrows his eyebrows. 

 

“What’d you mean-“

 

“Why was Sungwoon all over you?” His voice was shaky but Daniel just shook his head.

 

“No… you are misreading this whole thing. Let me tell you what-“

 

“Save it, dude. Just tell me that you and Sungwoon are dating so we can end this whole thing.”

 

“I-“

 

“You know,” Jihoon laughs bitterly, “You never even gamed with me ONCE. Throughout this whole thing, I made sure to do my part. I came to this stupid ass game and I was going to go eat at the diner with you. H-hell, I even fucking made out with you _knowing_ that I was just replaced by Sungwoon in your head.”

 

“Is that really important right now?” Daniel relaxes his arms out to the side. He looked like a puppy that had just been stepped on but Jihoon didn’t know what was real or fake anymore.

 

He could have been acting so loving and caring these past few weeks just to mess with Jihoon’s brain.

 

“Yes, it is fucking important! I made SURE that I made you happy and followed the rules that you set. But that one measly rule.. you couldn’t even follow it.” Jihoon’s voice trailed off at the end.

 

“You know what I think this whole thing,” Daniel motions in between the two of them, “Is about? Why your so mad?”

 

“Why? Why am I so mad?”

 

“Because you fell so far in love with me and you realize there is no way out. You are hopelessly and viciously in love with me, Park Jihoon.” Daniel’s words were venom. They stung the skin and the heart all at once, “And yet, you are so replaceable for me. While I am the only person you love.” Daniel spits out, cutting Jihoon’s skin like a knife. The thing that made this worse was that he was calm and collected, showing Jihoon that he never really cared. 

 

Jihoon wanted to cry out, hit him, break all of the bones in his body just so Daniel could feel the amount of pain that his heart was feeling.

 

But he let him walk away. He let Daniel walk off of the soccer field, leaving Jihoon to cry in the middle while the cold autumn wild hits his face and the lights shine on him.

 

“That was the first time you ever said my name, asshole.” Jihoon mutters as the tears finally make way down his red face.

 


	6. Freshman Fucking Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof this definitely isnt one of my best chapters so im really sorry about that :( i plan to have 1-2 more chapters after this one so stick around~

“You guys broke up?!” Woojin pauses the new video game he bought so he could turn towards Jihoon.

 

He nods, pulling his hoodie closer to his body, “Yeah.” Woojin throws his head back in some sort of ‘ _Aha!’_ moment.

 

“No wonder you look like you _actually_ want to die.” Jihoon looks at Woojin, mouth slightly open and eyebrows turned upwards. Woojin immediately softens and mutters out a small _‘Sorry’_ before turning back to his game.

 

He wasn’t far from the truth honestly. When Daniel left the field it was like all hope was lost for him, well, all hope was lost for him when he saw Sungwoon’s head against Daniel’s chest acting like they were the only two people in the world.

 

Just when Jihoon was thinking about how this whole thing would work out, they were going on small dates, hanging out daily, and they even kissed, Daniel turned back into his arrogant asshole self and had to ruin everything.

 

“What are you going to do?” Woojin asks while still zeroing in on his game. Jihoon shakes his head, sinking down into the couch even further.

 

“I don’t know, Woojinie…” It took all of his strength not to cry in front of his best friend. If Woojin was paying more attention, he probably would have honestly.

 

-

 

The school week had come around way too quickly for his liking. He wasn’t looking forward to seeing all of the people look at him like he was a kicked puppy or seeing Daniel all up against Sungwoon in the hallways.

 

He wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared for the latter one.

 

Jihoon walks into the significantly warmer school, exhaling with relief, and walks towards his locker. This was going to be the hardest part of all.

 

Daniel and his little soccer buddies lockers are just 10 lockers down from where Jihoon’s locker is situated. Every morning, like stereotypical jocks, they hang out at those lockers waiting for someone to pick on or pick up.

 

Jihoon stops for a moment, inhaling and then exhaling, just trying to prepare for the absolute worst.

 

He starts walking again, passing by various people, and then he passes by _the_ people. He hears them quiet down a bit then he hears clothes rustling and ruffling until the one and only Kang Daniel is in front of him. 

 

Daniel doesn’t look too good, in all honesty. He has very big dark circles under his eyes which weren’t usually there and he has some acne sprouting up on the side of his face. It was very teenager-y but very unlike Daniel. Jihoon distinctly remembers Daniel saying something along the lines of, _“If I ever get acne, just put me down. I couldn’t bear with that.”_

 

Jihoon is snapped out of his thought abruptly, “Can we t-talk… or something because I’m not dealing with this whole break up-“

 

He cuts Daniel off with a locker shut. Daniel looks at Jihoon with hopeful eyes, “No. Sorry.” Jihoon didn’t mean for his voice to come off as so… rude but it happened. He sounded like a complete asshole to Daniel.

 

“Jihoon, I-“

 

“Save it, Kang Daniel.” He turns on his heel and walks away, not knowing what or how to feel. He wanted to feel satisfied for finally standing up to that asshole but his heart broke with every step he took away from Daniel.

 

-

 

This isn’t what he expected at all. He expected Daniel to try to talk to him maybe one or two more times before ultimately resigning and going on to the next person but that was definitely not happening right now.

 

“Daniel really wants to talk to you, Jihoon,” Sungwoon starts and Jihoon can feel his heart in his throat, “Everything was a big misunderstanding. We-“

 

“Tell Daniel to shove it his talk up his ass,” Sungwoon looks baffled and so is Jihoon. He didn’t know such harsh words could or would ever come out of his mouth, “I don’t need or want him anymore. Tell him those exact words, thanks.” 

 

He tries to walk away but Sungwoon continues talking, “We never dated, you know that right? We never were going to date either. I have a boyfriend I wouldn’t trade for the world-“

 

“Yeah,” Jihoon turns around to talk face to face as anger was boiling over the surface, “But he was using me this whole time. I was just some… some toy to make you jealous. That’s all I ever was and that is all I will ever be-“

 

“Shut the fuck up, Park Jihoon,” Sungwoon snaps, arms crossing defensively over his chest, “ _You_ weren’t there with him when he was sobbing all night Friday night. _You_ weren’t there with him Saturday when he was stressing about what he could do to make this all better. _You_ weren’t there on Sunday when he cried, again, about how shitty he was feeling-“

 

“Yeah, but I was there Friday night after the game when your head was laying on his chest. _Friends_ don’t do that, Sungwoon.”

 

Sungwoon laughs, the class bell ringing in the background, “What did you think I was doing? About to suck him off? No, I was congratulating him on winning the soccer game and encouraging him to finally confess his fucking feelings for you that he has been harboring since freshman fucking year!” 

 

What.

 

Every feeling hit Jihoon all at once. Confusion was the biggest one followed by sadness and a slight sprinkle of happiness.

 

“What…?”

 

Sungwoon walks up to him, “Did you really not know this whole thing was a plot to get you and him closer together? 

 

Jihoon shakes his head in disbelief, “I don't believe you. I need to hear it from Daniel himself.”

 

Sungwoon motions behind him, “Go right ahead. This is his free period so he will most likely be on the field. God, for a nerd you can really be dense sometimes.” He turns around and walks down the silent hallway.

 

“What the fuck is happening,” Jihoon whispers to himself, body going on autopilot as he walks to the field. He couldn’t believe what was actually happening.

 

If what Sungwoon said was completely 100% true then Daniel had a crush on. A crush on him since freshman fucking year to be exact.

 

The brisk air hits Jihoon in the face when the doors open in front of him. He sees the field in the distant. He jogs towards the field lightly just wanting to get this humiliation fest over with.

 

He had a distinct feeling that Sungwoon was just lying to him. It was the only thing that made any sort of sense. How could someone like Kang Daniel have feelings for a nerd like Jihoon? 

 

But at the same time, what if it was true? What if this was all a little ploy to get the two of them closer so Daniel could jump-start their relationship.

 

Jihoon shook his head at that thought once he stepped onto the field. He spotted Daniel sitting in the middle, pulling out grass and throwing it once he was done examining it.

 

He pops a squat next to him pulling his legs closer to his chest and sighs, “What are you doing, Kang Daniel?”

 

Daniel looks at Jihoon, guilt casting over his face, “I should be asking you that question, nerd.”

 

Jihoon laughs lightly, “Sungwoon came to talk to me.” Daniel’s body goes tense and he looks at Jihoon with an expecting glance.

 

“What did he say?” His voice was wavering — Jihoon found it very cute but decided not to comment on it.

 

“He said…. that- that you have liked me since freshmen year, which I totally don’t believe but-“

 

“Believe it.”

 

“What?”

 

“I said,” Daniel scoots in front of Jihoon and grabs his knee softly, “Believe it. That is true, I have been thinking of ways to get to talk to you since freshman year.”

 

Jihoon’s heart explodes hearing that. A part of him wanted to think that this was all just another one of Daniel’s pranks to humiliate a nerd but looking at how Daniel’s face was flushed and how shy he acted, Jihoon just knew that what he was saying was true.

 

“So you settled on fake dating?” He laughs when Daniel scrunches up his face, cringing at the idea.

 

“I-in my defense,” He puts his hands up, laughter falling out of his mouth, “That was completely Sungwoon and Minhyun’s idea.”

 

Jihoon shakes his head, “I wouldn’t take any ideas from them anymore.”

 

Daniel nods along in agreement, “Oh no, I totally agree. This whole thing,” Daniel gestures in between them, “Almost killed me.”

 

“That wouldn’t have been good at all… I want to be with an alive Daniel, not a dead one.” Daniel’s face brightens up.

 

“You want to be with me?”

 

Jihoon grabs Daniel’s hands, smiling at the ground, “I have wanted to be with you since day one of high school.”

 

Daniel squeezes Jihoon’s hand in his own, “Me too.”

 


	7. End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's the end of a series!!! but keep an eye out on my profile because a college sequel might happen............ ;)))

“Why me?” Jihoon threads his fingers through Daniel’s and then unthreads them. He repeats the process a couple more times before settling on holding his hand.

 

“Why not you?” Daniel responds nonchalantly pulling Jihoon’s body closer to his. Jihoon snuggles closer to his chest letting out a sigh of relief. 

 

This is what heaven had to feel like. There was no way anything in the entire universe could top Daniel’s warmth when he held on to him.

 

“I’m a nerd and you are a jock,” He looks up at Daniel who is already smiling down at him, “Typically, we should hate each other.” 

 

Daniel sighs, “I have a feeling you did hate me there for a second.” Jihoon shakes his head, laying it back down on his chest to hear his steady heartbeat.

 

“I never hated you… I was just confused and felt played by you, you know?” 

 

Daniel’s grip gets tighter on his shoulder, “I’m so sorry, Jihoon. I-I didn’t know how to channel my feelings for you so I tried out that arrogant asshole thing-“

 

“You don’t need to be sorry. Sure, at the time it hurt but I understand why you did it. We are both awkward little shits so…” The two of them break out into small laughter at Jihoon’s harsh but true words.

 

The laughter dies down a bit and Daniel starts playing with Jihoon’s hair which was always welcomed, “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

 

Jihoon smiles, “And thank you for accepting me as a nerd.”


End file.
